NY Times Stinker On Tiger Effect

Ken Belson and Richard Sandomir filed a New York Times story on Tiger's effect on the golf economy and laid this egg:

The public’s distaste for Woods, who was divorced in August, has turned off some people to golf, at least for now. A survey conducted by the National Golf Foundation in July showed that 31 percent of 500 active golfers polled said they were not as interested in golf on television when Woods was not playing or was not in contention.

So the survey says that people are not as interested in golf on television when Tiger's not playing or in contention, yet they set that revelation up by writing that the public's distate for Woods has turned people off to golf?

Comments

[The O]

If only this were true. Then my rounds would be faster.

[Wisconsin Reader]

It is astounding! . . . When you are very familiar with a topic . . . How you can detect gross errors in media reports. . . It should make us wonder about all the media reports we tend to accept as accurate on topics we are less familiar with than golf . . . And, I ain't just talking about Fox News.

[Tom Ierubino]

Excellent point, Wisconsin Reader.

[dsl]

Perhaps that 31% is way down post-accident? So, less people are less interested when Tiger's...oh, forget it. I'll be damned if I know what they're talking about.

[Tommy Naccarato]

Someone is actually taking the National Golf Foundation serious? The same foundation that called for the over-building of golf courses that did more to hurt the sport then promote it? The same foundation that put golf historic Sharp Park in harm's way? that National Golf Foundation?

If Golf has to rely on one person or entity to survive, then the Sport is in far more serious trouble then some NGF report.

[tlavin]

Methinks the causation argument is lacking.

[Bar Fedora]

Everything is Tiger's fault. Him and Oback. And Michelle Wie.

[Charles Boyer]

I didn't know that golf was only a sport played on television. Thanks for letting me know, NGF!

[Mulligan]

Woods is one of the most popular and most unpopular athletes on the planet.

Figure that one out.

[Taylor Anderson]

Wisconsin Reader, despite his obligatory and customary dig at the right, makes a great point. Which is why I look to bloggers such as Geoff to provide proper context, corrections and commentary on mainstream media reporting.

It's also why anybody who uses the TV as their sole news source is a lost soul.

[Roland the Headless Thompson Putter]

The NY Times is perhaps the worst print news source despite their claim to hallowed news status. They exaggerate or get facts blatantly wrong in every freakin' section of their paper, usually to adhere to some pre-conceived storyline.

[Del the Funk]

W.R., that is a good point you raise. I couldn't believe the mainstream press picked up the "fat finger fumble" thesis and ran with it relative to the "flash crash" that happened on May 6th this year. That's just an absurd thesis and there's not an "M" or "B" button on the machines as was so widely reported, just not how it works. A couple quick calls/questions could have ruled that out but man they ran with that story for months. Unreal.

[Del the Funk]

Roland, BINGO. NYT's never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. I never ever read that paper anymore after not missing a Saturday/Sunday for years and years.

[JSS]

I find it odd that the NGF, a non profit would take the time to explore the obvious.

[digsouth]

All the media has got to be taken with a cross reference story to really get to the facts. additionally the use of adjectives always goes to the 'most' sensational headline or description : if 'good' is correct, then 'great' is used ,etc......

Rich predjudiced owners (GE, Hurst, Murdoch) have always been around, and money lined Congressmen are always willing to regulate with a wink and a nod, for example , Clear Channel's semi monopoly of radio... and clearly they have an agenda.

The price of freedom is vigilance.

As to golf, the Tommy comment about overbuilding has certainly shown the creditability of the source.

Unfortunately, what happens, and may have happened here, is , with decreased revenues, for all the reasons we already know. the media is prone to pick up ready to print or rewrite type of feature stories to fill space between the ads. This may have been derived from one of these press releases, and not factchecked in the least.

Man, golf/Pro golf/ TV better get their heads out of their a*sses: TV is NOT the deal with young people, and ad dollars will go where real sales results are generated.

I don't give a sh*t if golf remains a 'niche' sport, in fact , that's great. Maybe some courses need to sit vacant, like some 'trampoline center' or whatever. Theseoverpriced daily fee, semi private tracks are great when well done, ande there are ome nice ones: but the lower tier are far to numerous, and the prices are too high or the quality is too low in many instances.

[digsouth]

Not sure if above post was totally applicable to the article, but I hit go before I could edit.



Mulligan,

We had an Austin Band that was voted best and worst the same year. So TW can be both at the same time, yes.

[vwgolfer]

Hey Headless! R U sayin' NY TIMES is worse than USA Today? Or the Columbus Dispatch? Cause really you should try readin that kind of shit rag to find out what a bunch of blow hard dick wad that kind of crap is. Fer sure. Really? Maybe turn on some of that them thar CNN or that Glenn Beck guy for some real news, cause the frickin commies and socialists are comin to town.

And every freakin section is wrong? Damn you mean those 2 gay guys in the Sunday Style Section are really straight? Jees, guess I go back to reading the weekly world news at least there I can get the real low down on Obama secret love child, oops I am sorry that is Paladino's secret love child.

[Charles Boyer]

digsouth -- what band was that? Seems like I listen to a lot of Austin music lately.